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Netflix’s new serial killer docuseries is chilling viewers to the bone

Updated Nov 16th, 2021 4:17PM EST
group of men talking in catching killers trailer
Image: Netflix

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This year’s flood of new true crime content has yet to abate from Netflix. Now, the new docuseries Catching Killers is among the latest examples to add to the pile. Viewers have been going wild for the new docuseries on social media. Many have expressed just how chilling some elements of the series are. Long story short, true crime fans should definitely add this new series to their must-watch lists.

The gist here is pretty straightforward. “The investigators behind infamous serial killer cases,” Netflix’s official synopsis explains, “reveal the harrowing, chilling details of their extraordinary efforts in this true crime series.” For example, in the first episode (titled Body Count: The Green River Killer), viewers learn the story of the unsolved murders of women around Green River, near Seattle — something that’s haunted investigators for decades. Until crime scene science finally allows progress to be made.

Catching Killers now streaming on Netflix

“I’m going to be honest with you,” a grim man says in the opening seconds of the trailer for the series. “Walking up to this crime scene after 30 years — the sad part, that somebody lost their life right here a few feet from us, just kinda rushes over you.”

For an example of what else is in store for viewers? Episode 2 (Manhunter: Aileen Wuornos) unspools a serial killer’s road trip through Florida in 1990. One that left several men dead and forced investigators to go undercover to catch someone they wouldn’t have expected. The final two episodes, meanwhile, deal with the “happy face killer.”

In True Lies, Part 1, “odd suspects, questionable confessions, and ever-shifting stories” confront detectives. They’re hunting for a women’s killer in Oregon in the 1990s. In the concluding episode, a “consequential” letter surfaces with claims that upend the closed case.

True crime galore

So far, Catching Killers seems to be garnering positive acclaim.

The team over at Decider, for example, has recommended that viewers “stream it” as part of the website’s regular “Stream It or Skip It” feature. “This is a weird thing to say about a show involving serial killers,” the review explains, “but Catching Killers is a light watch, akin to what you might see on Dateline48 Hours, or cable true crime shows. There’s just enough information to make the show entertaining, but there’s no depth to any of the stories.”

And when you’re done with that? Check out some of our other recent coverage on new Netflix true crime content to watch:

  • There’s Yara, a new Netflix movie that dramatizes a crime that rocked Italy a decade ago — the murder of 13-year-old Yara Gambirasio;
  • Sophie: A Murder in West Cork is a docuseries about a 1990s-era murder, the first in living memory for this particular region in Ireland;
  • Private Network: Who Killed Manuel Buendia? is a documentary about a murdered reporter. He was a chronicler of corruption who worked for the daily newspaper Excélsior, one of the most read in Mexico City. The Netflix documentary tracks the circumstances surrounding his assassination outside his office in 1984;
  • And then there’s Heist, a docuseries about a bunch of wild, you guessed it, heists. Including one involving thieves who stole $3.1 million from an armored truck in Las Vegas.
Andy Meek Trending News Editor

Andy Meek is a reporter based in Memphis who has covered media, entertainment, and culture for over 20 years. His work has appeared in outlets including The Guardian, Forbes, and The Financial Times, and he’s written for BGR since 2015. Andy's coverage includes technology and entertainment, and he has a particular interest in all things streaming.

Over the years, he’s interviewed legendary figures in entertainment and tech that range from Stan Lee to John McAfee, Peter Thiel, and Reed Hastings.